Publishers summary: In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town, came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters--Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa--a chance at a better life.

But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America. As the pandemic claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Amidst the tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live without--and what they are willing to do about it.

As Bright as Heaven is the compelling story of a mother and her daughters who find themselves in a harsh world not of their making, which will either crush their resolve to survive or purify it.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book! it is the first book I have ever read about the spanish flu and about working and living in a funeral parlor but with that combined and all the death that occurs this is also a great story about love, forgiveness and family! This book is not a light-hearted read but it is a moving story that will stay with you even after you have finished

Publishers summary: Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.

And then she was gone.

Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

My thoughts: This is the take all for disturbing stories...I mean it, what the hell! It is the saddest story and I cannot stand books with kids that are abused, so if you are sensitive to that this is not for you. It does have a love story that is a bit "off" and I just thought it was so sad how much Laurel and her ex-husband still loved each other but due to all the loss and pain they endured could not be together. Poppy is quite the character but she seemed a little creepy to me. And the nutcase tutor, oh my goodness. This story made me want to put my kids in a bubble and keep them there!

Publishers summary: When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce―and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her―and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions―especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors―and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.

My thoughts: This is not one of my favorite reads but I didn't exactly hate it either. It is a middle of the road mystery that is pretty easy to solve early on...there is one twist at the end of the book that I was really not expecting but loved! This is a great book if you like a mystery but are not into the psychological thrillers that are all the rage right now.

Publishers summary- In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.Nearly thirty years later, Hugo's estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father's funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father's history--and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father's secrets now.

My thoughts (spoiler)- I loved the characters right away and really wanted the love story between Hugo and Sofia to work out. Right when I would really begin to get into the story it would have an abrupt change of pace which made it a little hard to really love 100%. I didn't like the was Sofia just vanished, I thought that part of the story could have been elaborated. The Italian culture was great and I almost felt like I was there by the great description used. The ending with Joanna falling in love was a little off to me?! Overall it was a good read but it could have been really great!

Publishers Summary: In the shadows of World War II, trust becomes the greatest risk of all for two strangers.December 1943. In the years before the rise of Hitler, the Gerber family’s summer cottage was filled with laughter. Now, as deep drifts of snow blanket the Black Forest, German dissenter Franka Gerber is alone and hopeless. Fervor and brutality have swept through her homeland, taking away both her father and her brother and leaving her with no reason to live.That is, until she discovers an unconscious airman lying in the snow wearing a Luftwaffe uniform, his parachute flapping in the wind. Unwilling to let him die, Franka takes him to her family’s isolated cabin despite her hatred for the regime he represents. But when it turns out that he is not who he seems, Franka begins a race against time to unravel the mystery of the airman’s true identity. Their tenuous bond becomes as inseparable as it is dangerous. Hunted by the Gestapo, can they trust each other enough to join forces on a mission that could change the face of the war and their own lives forever?

My thoughts: This story drops you right in the middle of WW2 and does not waste time getting to the plot, which I love. It also has great character development which sometimes lacks when they jump right into the story. A surprisingly great love story too!

For the last few months I have been reading and just posting my reviews on Instagram and not on my blog like I had planned. So today while it was storming outside like crazy I got all caught up on my book review posts, they seem a bit impersonal because I just copied and pasted them from Instagram in order to save time. I am hoping to do better from here on out but I cannot promise that every time because my two little guys keep me busy.

Almost all of the books I read I purchase on my Kindle but recently I signed up for the Book of the Month Club and I absolutely love it! Every month they showcase five new books. They narrow it down from hundreds of new releases...sometimes the books haven't even been released to the public and you get to read them first!! Each month you pay $14.99 and can select one book (they are hardback too) and shipping is free. I like to also purchase other books to ship with my selection because they are heavily discounted. This also would make a great gift!

If you use my referral link below you get a free book in addition to your first month's book selection...so that is two books for $14.99 with free shipping!! Oh and they ship to you really fast.

Book 9 review: 🖤🖤🖤/5🖤Other People's Houses by Abbi WaxmanAnother great thing about the book of the month club is you sometimes get to read books before they are even on bookshelves, that was the case with this book! This one is available everywhere on April 3! Do you guys remember the show Desperate Housewives? This book reminds me of that show so much! It is the story of 4 families in a suburban neighborhood and the secrets that go on in each house. The story is told from the point of view of carpool mom, Frances Bloom. She is witness to an extramarital affair and that gets the story rolling...from there we get a glimpse of parenting, love, lies, illness and much more. Abbi Waxman takes the sometimes mundane life of housewives and makes it anything but boring! This is a cheeky, light read...a perfect book to read after my last spooky read. My only complaint was I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and abrupt, I would have liked to seen more story after the infamous surprise birthday!

Book review 8 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5🖤 The Woman in the Window by A.J. FinnThis book is a dark thriller that you will not be able to put down. I know I have said that before but I REALLY mean it this time! The writing is so clear and easy to follow but the "spookiness" made me have to keep taking little breaks, with that said I read it in less than two days. Dr. Anna Fox goes through a horrible tragedy and the result was a phobia of leaving her house, alcoholism and prescription pills. Her husband and daughter are no longer living at home with her only connection with outside people comes in the form of her drs )that have to come to her house) and then spying on her neighbors. One day she sees something horrible and the mystery to solve it begins. I was completely surprised by two of the twists towards the end of the book. I was rooting for Anna the whole way and I think you will love her too!

I know this is not going to be a popular book review and I am sad to even write it because I have really loved a lot of Sophie Kinsella's books (Remember Me is one of my favorite books of all time) but I did not love Surprise Me at all. I just could not get into the storyline and found it to be pretty boring! Sylvie and Dan have been married 10 years and found out they have another 68 to go. This freaks them out and they begin this game to not get bored with one another. But along the way you realize Dan has been keeping a secret from Sylvie. Dan is a character I couldn't really understand but I really loved the character Sylvie, I just wish they didn't make her out to be so crazy at times. The humor that is usually in Sophie Kinsella books really lacked for me in this read.

Book 6 review. 🖤🖤🖤/5🖤. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

This is a very quick read that you will not want to put down. The best way to describe it is Girl on a Train meets cheesy lifetime movie. The plot is really great but like any lifetime movie it is a little overkill in some areas. That being said I did enjoy reading it! Basic story line for this book is that what seems like a happily married couple is not that at all, Richard leaves Vanessa "heartbroken" for a much younger woman. It is a story of lies, secrets and revenge. There are twists on every new page, just enough to keep you reading into the late night hours just so you can see how it ends. The final twist was way too much for me though, there could have left that out!

Book 5 review: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤/5🖤 The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah I finished this book last night but needed time to sleep on it before I wrote my review. This book is magnificently emotionally exhausting! It is a story about a family under the control of dad/husband Ernt Allbright and his struggle with POW, Vietnam & PDSD demons. The Allbright family runs away to the solitude of Alaska as an escape. Ernt is sure the Alaskan life will be the cure he needs to save himself and his family. They are all in for more than one surprise once they arrive and settle in. This is a story of love; mother-daughter love, young love, friendship love, neighborhood community love as well as dysfunctional love. This is also a story of loss. Author, Kristin Hannah, captures every emotion perfectly and draws you in on the roller coaster of emotions you will feel while reading. Get your tissues ready, you will need them more than once!

Book 4 review- 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5🖤We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia HunterThis is a heartbreaking read about a Jewish family living in Poland at the beginning of WWII. The Kurc family is made up of the parents and their five adult children. The story follows them through their courageous journey of survival. I was especially drawn to the characters Mila and Felicia...a mother and young daughter. I could not imagine living during such an awful experience and reading a book like this is a reminder of the luxuries we all have today that are taken for granted at times. I liked the book even better once I read it was based on a true story of the authors family. My only complaint was because the family is so large it is hard to follow at times. SPOILER ALERT: the happy ending is something I am not used to when reading a WWII book!

Book 3 review: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 (if I was doing half scores this would be a 3.5) The Girl in the Picture by Kerry BarrettThis was such a great quick read, quick because I couldn't put it down. I didn't expect it to be such a mystery or for the twists to be like they were...the biggest being what actually happened to Violet. It is a story of present time that flashes back to the past. A heartbreakingly good story with strong female characters. I especially enjoyed the love between Ella and her husband, it was refreshing to see a marriage succeed based on mutual love and respect for one another. From the first page I was drawn into the story and I think you will too!

🖤🖤🖤 | 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 Book 2 review: Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna is a suspense thriller where two little girls go missing and the search to find them begins. The beginning of the book was great, I instantly liked Cap and even though Jamie (the mother) seemed a little rough you were drawn to her and wanted her to succeed. The way the girls went missing is believable but then I feel like character development begins to lack. I didn't really feel connected to anyone else and there are a lot of characters! Versa is supposed to be a kick ass detective and I definitely got that feeling but she was a little too mysterious for me. I felt like this book had great potential but lost me mid way through. I was eager to find out the kidnapper and the ending is a bit twisted. Maybe not the best book if you have little girls! If you have read it let me know your thoughts.

Hi, hello friends! I set a personal goal for myself in 2018, to read and review 45 books. That is five more books than I read last year and I am excited to share my thoughts on each book this time around.

Reading for me has always been theraputic, a way to escape everyday stressors and tune out any anxiety you may be feeling. The love for reading started young for me, I do not really remember my parents reading to me as a kid (I am sure they did) but I do remember my mom always reading Danielle Steel books, an author I still adore. In high school outside of the usual hanging out with friends, homework and working part time...my favorite thing to do was get lost in a book. My favorite type of book varies but I am drawn to fictional love stories, chick lit, period pieces and mysteries...as you can tell I am not a picky reader! It is not uncommon for me to be up until 1 or 2am reading a good book, which leaves me exhausted the next day to chase around my two young kiddos. While most moms blame their sleepiness on their children, mine is 75% of the time because I was up too late reading. My kids are great sleepers!

I chose The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne as my first book. This was the Book of the Month Club winning book. So I went into this challenge super excited to get started and share my first book I was reading...only half way through I could not even finish it! This has maybe only happened one other time. I always finsish books I start but I just could not with this one. I have to be honest and say that this book was not for me, at all. It gets raving reviews and here is a great reminder that we are all our own person and like different things and that is ok, great even! I felt like character development really lacked and after the first chapter (which I liked) it went downhill fast for me. It is a story of tradegy and loss and where they try to make the character humorous at times, it just didnt work. MANY people love this book though so do not just take my word for it, try it out yourself and you just might love it. But I had to quickly move onto the next book!

A Bit About Angela —

Angela Jolley is a business owner, a wife and a mother of two sweet boys! She has extensive knowledge of candy, DIY and event design. Angela is the owner of Dulce Designs Candy.